Killing Perfection
by SpiralofDragon
Summary: In an attempt to create peace between the dog lords and panther devas, the panther family visits the Western palace for the summer. Touran is not looking forward to spending her least favorite time of the year with her least favorite kind of demons.
1. Roads

**A/N** This is my debut here. I got tired of reading Sessh/Kag fics in which little Kagome somehow impossibly becomes as awesome as Sesshoumaru. Why not start with a character who comes by that power honestly and is not a goody-goody two shoes who's torn over the boy she ends up with in cannon.

Besides. Just can't beat Touran for outright awesome. Kinda dissapointed there isn't more of her here.

Characters belong to Rumiko Takahashi. I don't own them in any way (*sigh*)

**This story arc** takes place in the past, about 200 years before Kagome pops through the well - i.e. before the first war with the panthers or InuYasha's birth. Just a heads up in case there might be confusion. Naturally, the characters won't be thinking of this since they can't exactly look into the future.

**Chapter 1**

The Killing Perfection.

Of all the ways to spend a summer, spending it with someone named 'Killing Perfection" was not Touran's idea of good fun. However, her opinion did not count when the peace of the Eastern and Western lands was at stake.

She cast a sidelong glance at Karan who, being just a kid, was as cheerful as ever, if a bit too fiery for Touran's taste. Karan set fire to a small plant and Touran put it out quickly before it spread. Setting fire to the Western lands was not good peace measures. Their father and his entourage were up ahead ignoring the two girls forced to drag along on this diplomatic mission.

After turning Karan's attention to things less flammable, Touran scowled at her father's dark back and mused. Logically, she was old enough to know perfectly well why this peace treaty as necessary. The panther deva tribe of the east had been at war with the dog lords of the west for centuries. The war had an effect of weeding out weaker demons and general populations were starting to be seriously diminished. Stronger demons lived long and reproduced seldom, so, frankly, the war was no longer sustainable. Eventually there might be no one left to fight.

Touran wondered why the war had begun. She'd never been quite sure.

So this was the adult's solution. Get the two ruling families together, let their children become friends, and try to come to a cessation of hostilities. Touran hoped it would work. Warfare was fun for someone of her demeanor, but she did not like the idea of exposing her little sister or baby brother Shuran currently still at home to more of the same. Their mother was pregnant again too, making their family unusually fertile for such a powerful demon family.

However, she was almost equally unexcited to spend time with the dog general's son who some wise guy had named Sesshoumaru. The killing perfection. Touran decided that if he tried living up to his name she was going to show him that she was no wimp herself on the battlefield. Her own name meant winter storm, an elegant name quite well suited to her power.

Karan yelped. "Cold!" she cried. Touran blinked out of her world of thoughts guiltily. Her power sometimes spiraled out of control when she was angry. She supposed it was something she should fix, but it was just a little ice, so she didn't mind that much. Besides, cold-sensitive Karan always caught her.

"Are we almost there?" Karan asked. "I'm bored."

"You are always bored," Touran replied. "But yes, I do think we are nearly there. Just over the next river." To her silent dismay, Touran could hear the feisty mountain river up ahead. Another thing to add to the list of things she did not like: dogs, heat, and water. She wanted to return to her home forest and spend some time running just for the joy of the wind though her long blue hair. Maybe this Sesshoumaru fellow would like to run too. Touran supposed she could bear with that.

"That river?" Karan asked racing after their stoically oblivious father. Touran rounded the corner of the trail and sighed.

"Yes, that river," she replied dryly. Just beyond the river she could see the tall outer walls of the dog general's palace. She grudgingly supposed it was an elegant place. Carefully whitewashed walls rose above the height of the trees. Trees near the palace had been removed for safety reasons, but the landscaping was tasteful enough that one wouldn't really notice. Touran could also feel the steady hum of power supporting the palace's defense. It was clearly the home of a military veteran.

The dog captain himself was standing in the open gates with his son and a few other subordinates. Even though she had never seem him before, Touran had no problem picking out which one was Sesshoumaru. He looked much like his father with the same long silvery hair, triangular facial markings, and the crescent moon on his forehead.

She was relieved to discover he looked about as nervous as she felt.

The great Inu no Taisho stepped forward, resplendent in full battle armor, a white kimono with blue patterning on the sleeves, twin mokomoko, and his hair pulled back in a severe ponytail. The dog general stared at her father with unblinking golden eyes.

When he spoke, his voice was deep and commanding. Touran had no problem believing just from his voice and his posture that this was the youkai who had successfully held her own powerful father at bay for so many years.

"Welcome to the Western lands."

There was no real friendship in the dog general's voice when he spoke, something that Touran couldn't really blame him for. Especially when her father responded with equal or greater chill.

"Delighted."


	2. Speech

**A/N** So here's chapter 2. It ended up quite longer than I intended, which I suppose is a good thing for the story in general. I don't want it to be shorter than it deserves.

Also, I hate writing dialogue.

**Chapter 2**

Touran had been deemed old enough to warrant her own room which was both exciting and lonely. She was used to sharing her room at home with Karan. Here, however, Karan had been given a small bedroom off their parent's suite.

Touran considered the closed door of her own room. The guard who'd brought her here had been a young and rather nervous wolf youkai. It certainly hadn't helped his ease of mind that she had chosen to walk with her typical aloof feline air. He had walked with a warrior's step, though. She wondered what he would fight like on the training floor. It would be good to find out. She certainly did not intend to remain idle from her studies while here. Actually, she was pretty sure that was one thing this 'Killing Perfection' fellow would be good at. Not that he had looked like much in the brief glimpse she had gotten of him before the panther entourage had been shepherded inside to stew over getting ready for the no doubt scintillating dinner to take place shortly. From what she knew, Sesshoumaru was only a little over a century old, making him just a few years older than herself. One century was standard adulthood to powerful youkai like them. He was supposed to be good with a sword like his father and coldly arrogant like his mother. Touran intended to match him in both respects. After all, combat with sharp objects and condescending manners were what cats were best at.

The room she had been granted was quite elegant. A comfy looking raised futon dominated the center of the floor, patterned silk drapes offering extra privacy. A balcony at the far end of the room included cushions for sitting and meditating and a fine view of the gardens. She was glad to be on an upper floor. Granted it was not terribly high, but dogs were still not as good at leaping off heights and landing gracefully as were cats. Colors inside the room were largely austerely used blues and purples which was very satisfying to Touran's own tastes. It was a relief not to have to spend time in the warm reds and oranges that Karan preferred liberally painted over everything. Even more exciting was the prospect of not being forced to sleep with a candle giving Karan comfort in its tiny flame. Touran much preferred the cold and dark any time over the heat and light.

She dropped her few packed belongings on the futon and made haste to change out of the incredibly uncomfortable formal kimono her father had insisted on her wearing to grant the best first impression possible. Instead she donned her favorite one-sleeved kimono that best showed off the blue markings banded around her upper right arm. Such marks were a symbol of the power of the bearer, something Touran thought made more sense to show off over family money, especially given the dogs had shown up in armor and weapons instead of fancy kimonos. Bloody dogs also had their marks easily visible on their faces.

She wandered out to the balcony and looked out at the garden. It was tasteful in a very traditional style. A cherry trees nearby blew gentle scents of the end of its blooming over her. Spring was great, but Touran already missed the short winter they had been granted that year. And now it was almost summer. Suffering though the heat would just have to be taken with as much grace as possible.

Just to show summer her spite, Touran froze a few errant cherry blossoms into icicles.

A knock on her door roused her from her silence. Touran considered the door a long moment waiting for the messenger to knock again. She could smell his unease and the spiteful feline part of her had no intention of giving him relief just yet. Especially when she was here without particularly wanting to be.

He knocked again more loudly and she sighed. No matter how much she liked being stubborn, her father would not stand for it is she wrecked the peace on the first day by refusing to show up to dinner. She crossed the room and yanked the door open, breezing past the startled messenger and into the hallway. It was the same young wolf from before who had already proven so susceptible to unease under her disdain. She eyed him icily, waiting for him to lead the way. He did so, attempting to recover his nerves a bit. Clearly puppies didn't like large cats stalking around their homes.

The hallways were only simply decorated in theme with the rest of the palace Touran had seen so far. She surreptitiously tried to pay attention to as much as she could while still retaining her chilly demeanor. She had no intention of having to rely on guides for long. An exploring session would be in order later.

She was escorted to the dining hall where she was able to promptly ditch her guard and rejoin her family where they were standing together. Karan latched onto her one sleeve, clearly not handling the tension that was thick in the room well. Touran decided to allow it for her sister's sake. Their mother often seemed like a rather nonexistent entity in her children's lives and their father kept too aloof to be a comforting presence. As a result, Touran had often acted as Karan's protector.

The lady of the Western lands was the only current ruling dog representative in the room. Touran's parents were ignoring her by discussing with each other so the white haired dog woman connected gazes with Touran instead. Distant gold eyes locked with cold blue and the glaring contest was on.

However, dogs clearly were not much good at the game. Instead of passive glaring from across the room, the dog woman sauntered over to strike up conversation. Touran distantly noticed Karen move, perhaps wisely, out of sight behind her.

"You'll be the eldest daughter then," she started in a distant, haughty voice. "Remind me, what is your name?"

"Touran," Touran replied simply, still not relinquishing her side of the staring war. "A pleasure to enjoy your hospitality, I am sure," she added for politeness' sake. "You run a fine house."

"Thank you," the lady said, seeming a little like she was just seeing Touran for the first time. "I'm glad you enjoy this palace. It will be our pleasure to accommodate you." Touran thought that if she had to put up with this cold condescension all summer she would likely go mad and reinitiate the war with her own claws. Seeing this lady encased in ice would be very satisfying.

A little to her relief, the lord of the house and his son entered before the ensuing silence could last too long. All attention in the room turned towards the pair. The Inu no Taisho had removed his armor and now simply wore the blue and white haori and hakama he had been wearing underneath. She was surprised to note that he looked far less tense now than he'd looked at the gate.

"The food will be getting cold if we continue standing around and gawking at each other," he said. "Shall we eat." Touran had to work a little to keep the surprise from her face. It seemed the dog general was capable of good cheer even now. The dog lady sauntered away to return to her mate. With a little uneasy surprise, the guests made their way to their seats. The table was low to the floor so kneeling was required. It was more comfortable than chairs as far as Touran was concerned. She found herself surrounded by dogs with the general himself across the table from her and Sesshoumaru sitting next to her. He seemed as uneasy about the situation as she was, which was rather comforting. Her father was seated nearby but was still wrapped in conversation with his own mate. Touran was beginning to wonder just when he planned on making peace.

"You're Touran then," the dog general said. "It's always nice to have new young energy around."

"Fine meeting you too, sir," she responded slowly.

"Touga. I'm Touga," he said, entirely too cheerfully. "And this is my son, Sesshoumaru." He gestured to the male sitting next to her giving Touran a good excuse to really examine the pup she was expected to spend the summer with for the first time. He was considering her with equal curiosity apparently at least partially released from his anxiety by his father's cheer.

He looked young as he still possessed wide curious eyes. Unlike his father's blue stripes, the makings on his cheeks were magenta making him seem more fiery than his father. He wore white with large red flowers patterned on the sleeves. Touran wondered at the fascination with white. It was so easy to stain and dogs were so much sloppier than obsessively clean cats. She supposed she could admire the bold use of white. Sesshoumaru also wore his hair loose. It was silvered like his father rather than the more flat white of his mother. The effect was a soft pearly sheen. She wondered what he saw when he looked at her: pale skinned, long pastel blue hair that would never quite behave properly, high forehead with a prominent widow's peak, determined blue eyes. Those were the descriptors she usually got. At least when it wasn't cold, distant, and dangerous.

"A pleasure to meet you," Sesshoumaru said. His voice was calm and deep. She was glad not to hear much of his mother's haughtiness.

"Honored," she replied. "It is quite pleasant here."

"I'm glad you think so," Touga said. If anything he sounded more cheerful. Touran would have felt a little like hiding if she did not smell the approach of a very tasty supper.

"How do cats live differently?" Sesshoumaru asked.

"We are panthers," Touran said, nearly automatically. She did not care for being associated with common cats. "Usually there is more color, but I like the simplicity here."

"Too much color is gaudy," Sesshoumaru agreed.

"So you prefer to wear all white?" Touran asked dryly. "That may be a little too much lack of color."

"It provides a challenge," Sesshoumaru countered. "One has to be impeccably kept to wear white confidently."

"And here comes food," Touga added brightly. "Shall we see who can stay the cleanest?"

"That is a ridiculous idea," Touran informed him, accepting a plate of food.

"Ridiculous it may be, but you must admit it is harmless enough," Touga said.

"You are challenging a cat to a cleanliness contest, Chichiue," Sesshoumaru said dryly. "It is ridiculous."

"Panther," Touran hissed under her breath.

"You're both spoil sports," Touga said. After checking to make sure everyone was served, he began carefully attacking his own food. Touran watched his attempts at delicacy for a few moments in amusement. Touga didn't particularly seem like the type to be dainty by nature though he did seem to have some inherent grace.

Out of old habit, Touran picked around her food to find the best morsels. She preferred to eat slowly and savor what food she did eat. Touga must have noticed, though.

"You know," he started, "I realize I don't really know feline tastes very well at all. You must inform me if something is amiss. What is it you usually prefer to eat."

"The food is fine," Touran assured him. It was perhaps more reliant on rice than she was used to, but overall, she did approve of the food they had been fed. "Fish is a favorite," she suggested, feeling helpful.

"Fish? We can certainly see about adding more fish to the menu," Touga agreed.

"What else do you usually like to do?" Sesshoumaru asked.

"Explore. Run. Scratch things," Touran replied. "What do dogs do for fun?"

"Plenty enough," Sesshoumaru responded. "I spend a lot of time training and avoiding my father. He's a little too chipper sometimes."

"He's also sitting right across from you," Touga interrupted. "Fortunately for you, I'll likely be busy enough for the next while to keep me out of your way." His playfully cross tone almost made Touran smile. She already liked the dog general's character, though she could see it getting wearing pretty quickly. No wonder Sesshoumaru avoided him much of the time.

"We should do a training duel tomorrow," she said, turning to look at Sesshoumaru. "I would rather like to test my strength against another youkai of my age group."

"Hn. I'll probably have to go easy on you," Sesshoumaru responded, eyeing her dubiously.

"You may do that if you so wish," Touran replied. "Just be prepared to have your hide thoroughly flayed."

"Is that a threat?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. "You seem a little dainty to carry that through."

"We will soon see about that," she purred. "You may end up admitting I am hardly someone to be underestimated."

"I'll look forward to being proved wrong," Sesshoumaru said. "It would be refreshing to finally discover a decent sparring partner."

"So long as you two don't end up tearing each other up too badly," Touga interjected, a little warning in his voice. "It would hardly help any potential peace if one of you severely injured the other. I'm really not sure how I would explain that one to your father, Touran."

"I am guessing he would completely understand," she said. "It is not as though our household is in any way blood-free."

"Still though, do be careful. I'd rather continue to have good conversations with you both." Touran glanced over at Sesshoumaru who lifted an eyebrow at her. She raised an eyebrow in response and allowed a quirk of a smile before returning to the rest of her dinner.

Sometime when she was about halfway through the meat course, her father finally deigned to discuss with Touga. She listened with half an ear, glad that Sesshoumaru was about as equally non-talkative as herself. It was with some mild amusement and frustration that she heard her father's chill force Touga's cheerful mood to become cold. She hoped her father would display better diplomacy as the summer went on. Touga seemed like a hard person to get on the bad side of without actual threats.

The two house ladies were also sitting beside each other. Touran wondered if they had even spoken a word to each other. Her mother was too quiet and the Western lady too cold. Likely no friendship would be made there.

Karan was getting on quite well with the wolf they had seated her by. Touran supposed it helped that she was so young. One could easily forgive a child for setting fire to one's dinner and then proceed to joke and laugh about it with her afterward. The wolf was also showing surprising facial agility with his expressions which was getting good laughs out of Karan. Likely he had dealt with children before or had some of his own. Either way, Touran was glad Karan was seated by him.

After dinner was finally over, Touran made her way back to her room on her own. She remembered the corridors well enough not to need to rely on a guide. Her own pride would not let her accept aid any longer than absolutely needed. Once in her room, she retired to the balcony to look out on the gardens. Night was the time of choice for a hunting cat, so she really was not tired yet. There were a few people out in the garden, so she amused herself watching them for a while letting her senses expand to be aware of as much space around her as possible. She sat cross-legged and perfectly still except for a pointed ear twitching every so often.

Night had descended.


	3. 3 Light

**A/N: **Sorry for long delays in uploads. Just writing as I get ideas. Had some fun writing the sword fight in this chapter, though it may be obvious that I used to fence. :D

Also, shout out to Ghost Writer Orange-kun who agreed to beta for me. Hopefully he can help me keep more on track. Thanks also to those who reviewed, faved, and followed. You guys helped me keep this story alive!

A thought that may help me keep going: I write best listening to music. If you guys have some great lyric-less (lyrics are distracting) music you think fits the story, suggest it to me in reviews. Also, review in general. Reviews feed hungry writer-monsters.

**Chapter 3**

An owl called, as if in warning, but no one heeded the call. In a burst of wings, the solitary bird fled its perch and the feline that had chased it away took the now vacant place on the branch. Moonlight glinted off mirrored eyes as they watched the river flowing past below. A long tail swished, the only outward movement of the great cat.

An abrupt flash of motion, and the cat was on the ground, a silvery fish wriggling in her claws. Touran figured her parents would be furious at her for being out and about at night here, but restlessness that could only be satisfied by activity had overtaken her. Escaping the dog palace was out of the question. Even if she could get past the sharp noses of the guards to get out, there was no way she could slip past the palace wards to get back in. Asking for re-admittance from the guards rubbed her pride the wrong way. The garden thus offered a very welcome place to explore.

Touran kept an ear focused on hearing anyone approach while she quietly ate her kill. Fresh food like this fulfilled her hunger better than any cook's masterpiece. When she was done with the somewhat disappointingly small fish, Touran carefully buried the bones at the base of a shrub. There was no point in advertising her presence here. On silent paws, she stole up the side of the palace next, chasing the unreachable stars. She did have to admit, here in the mountains where the atmosphere clung to the earth less, the stars possessed a particular beauty and clarity. She found a patch of roof that was hidden well enough from any guards and sprawled out on her back.

Under the light of the stars and moon with the chill of late night drawing off any uncomfortable heat, Touran allowed her thoughts to roam free. She played dinner trough her head again, wondering a little at the behavior of the dog taiyoukai and the contrast to her own people. Out of habit, she thought of Karan first. The fiery girl had at least managed to behave herself at dinner. Touran hoped the impression Karan had made was good enough for her to make plenty of friends here.

As for herself, Touran never made friends easily. She preferred it that way. It certainly meant she didn't need to constantly worry about staying in the fickle good graces of a bunch of power-hungry, backstabbing youkai. The few friends she did have, she trusted with her life. She only hoped her family had the good sense to make alliances that could count while here.

Touran patiently watched the circle of the heavens above her head while mentally analyzing the others she had seen here. Little things came to mind, many of no significance at all, but they might help her get to know her surroundings. Her guide favored his left leg, but not by much. At dinner, a little blond girl made patterns in her rice instead of eating it and was scolded by her mother. The mother flirted with the young male across from her. Touga did not bother chewing his food when excited. Sesshoumaru hated beans and pushed them all to the edge of his plate.

When the thoughts ran dry, Touran simply lay watching the stars circle far above. She wondered what made the little lights.

Eventually, meditation turned to boredom. Rolling lithely to her feet, Touran set off to familiarize herself with the palace interior. She dropped off the roof to the ground, a two story drop, on perfectly silent feet and padded through empty corridors. Her keen ears picked up distant voices in other parts of the palace carrying through thin rice paper walls alongside the steady breathing of sleepers. A familiar scent caught her attention and she followed it until she stood outside a closed door listening to her little sister breath contentedly.

She was relieved really that Karan seemed to be so at ease here. She cared for her siblings perhaps more than anything else in the world and Karan most of those. Shuran would follow after her adoringly at home, but he was also rather busy undergoing training befitting the first son of the house and her newest sibling had yet to be born. Karan was special because she was closest in age and had power that so neatly balanced hers. Accordingly, Touran was glad to note that she could smell the waxy scent of a burning candle. Karan had never slept well without her night light.

A distant sound distracted the prowling panther and the feline slipped away from her post to investigate. At the sound's source, she discovered a wolf pup nosing his way around in the palace kitchens. She crouched behind a counter and watched in silence until the pup found what he was looking for and scampered away. Touran stayed where she was, finally noticing the long journey of the past couple of days catching up with her. Stretching into a long languid cat yawn, she turned her feet towards her room.

With the door shut behind her, Touran slipped out of her kimono and into a thin sleeping yukata before dropping into the futon provided. Grimacing a little at the warm breeze coming through the gap in the balcony door, she let her power drop the temperature of the area directly around her before drifting into the land of sleep.

Over breakfast, Touran mulled crankily over dogs who greeted the morning sun with howling. She wasn't much bothered by rising early in and of itself, but preferred to do so at her own pace. To spite the howler and dogs in general, she took her breakfast not from the kitchens but directly from the pond, not bothering to bury the bones this time. At least there were activities today worth looking forward to, though. Touran greatly anticipated the chance to try her strength against the 'killing perfection.'

The dojo was bustling with morning activity. Some practiced slow meditating and stretching exercises while some leapt around practicing fighting forms at full speed. A few has paired off and were practicing the forms in mock combat. Taking her cue from the others there, Touran began a slow dance through her forms, holding to find the perfection in each one as she went through the sequence. By the time she was done nearly a half hour later, a surprising number of people had left. Touran wondered whether they had places to be or were just impatient fools. Practicing was supposed to take time.

Finished with her slow forms, Touran moved on to faster practice sequences. She saw her intended opponent appear and watched out of the corner of her eye as he began a completely different morning regimen. When she finally finished her own warm up, she moved off to the side to watch Sesshoumaru practice with more complete attention, tail twitching. When he finished, she approached.

"How about that practice then, dog?" she asked brightly.

"Hn. Don't be too disappointed if you loose," he replied evenly, drawing his sword. Touran smirked, drawing her own sword, blued steel glinting in the morning sunlight. Spring morning dampness was burning away to become a beautiful day. While others found this refreshing, Touran sorely missed winter.

The two youkai circled each other almost lazily, each watching the other keenly for any signs of offensive attack.

"You may as well strike first," Touran purred. "Cats can wait patiently all day."

"I rather thought circling and throwing insults was a required part of a duel," he quipped.

"If you insist," she said. "You stink of wet dog poo."

"Hn. Going for scent first. You know your insults. I bet you're so used to doing cat fights with your claws that you don't even know how to wield a sword."

"Oh, I can flay you with my claws if you would prefer," Touran laughed. "but I thought you would want a fighting chance at beating me. After all, one sword is easier to parry than ten. Or twenty if I take full form."

"Swords? Needles more like," he returned. "Unfortunately for you, needles don't scare me." He took a casual swipe at her with his sword. Touran parried easily and riposted, aiming for the dog's shoulder. Sesshoumaru parried and attacked again with more speed. Touran swayed easily out of the way, stepping to increase distance between her and her opponent once more. They continued circling, swords raised and carefully watching each other for any telltale muscles twitches.

Touran didn't bother waiting for insults this time but thrust forward with lightening speed. Sesshoumaru snapped his weapon up in the appropriate block and she spun her weapon around to block his expected attack. Sesshoumaru smirked, twisting so that his weapon slid up hers, aiming to disarm her. Touran adjusted her grip to keep from being disarmed and let the guard on her sword stop the dog's weapon from slicing her hand open. Sesshoumaru attacked again in a complex pattern of strikes, keeping her on the defensive. Touran allowed herself to be backed along the floor of the dojo, parrying blow for blow. As her back foot touched the edge of the mat, though, she sprang into sudden offensive motion. Nimbly the panther leapt backwards into the air, using the wall to push off and darting around the dog's side. Jerking her weapon back, she landed the first blow of the battle with her hilt smacking into Sesshoumaru's back.

She gave the dog a toothy grin as he whirled around. "I hope you are not determined to go too easy on me," she teased. "I am only getting started and I want this fight to be more interesting than one with my baby brother!"

Sesshoumaru growled and lunged, but she wasn't ready to go on defensive again. Instead, she rolled low and came up close to her opponent, forcing him on his heels. Aggressively, she chased the general's son back across the dojo until they had returned to the starting position. Sesshoumaru swiped at her as she danced away to resume circling.

"Ah, I see," her opponent said. "So the cat does have claws. Perhaps I should actually start trying."

"Beware that you do not underestimate me," she returned. "Common kitties you may be used to do not have claws quite so sharp. And this kitty can roar!"

"Can you!" he asked, surprised. "You shall have to demonstrate sometime."

"You wish you were so lucky," she growled and closed the distance. Sesshoumaru met her in a whirl of blades and sparking steel. Touran, being smaller, was faster and lighter on her feet, though the inu youkai was not far behind her. She was pleasantly impressed with his skill. Demon or not, it was still disappointingly hard to find peers who could keep up with her. They matched each other blow for blow, neither willing to give ground. Touran allowed a grin to spread across her face, watching as Sesshoumaru began frowning more and more with the fight's progression.

And then she saw her opening. It wasn't much of a hole in the inu youkai's guard, but it was enough for her to slip in, forcing Sesshoumaru's blade out wide and kicking out to knock his legs out from under him. Panting a little from the exertion, she pointed her blade at his chest.

"Who is small and fragile now?" she teased brightly. Keeping a wary eye on the dog, she stepped back and sheathed her weapon.

"Hn. You're quick," he admitted, picking himself up and sheathing his own weapon. "Not bad for a cat. We should do this again sometime."

"I am a panther, and yes we should do this again. Not as though I will not be bored stiff otherwise or anything," she replied. "You are not bad yourself. Not quite a perfect assassin, but not bad."

As she turned away from her sparring opponent, Touran blinked in surprise as she found that their duel had not been a private affair. Quite the crowd had turned out including both feline and canine demons. She scowled at her sister who was lounging on the mat. Karan grinned and waved before rolling to her feet and prancing away, tail swaying. Sesshoumaru nodded at Touran briefly before leaving the mat to walk over to a tall kitsune leaning against the wall. They left as the crowd began dispersing, the kitsune laughing about something as the inu glared. Mentally berating herself for not having paid close enough attention to her surroundings, Touran stalked out of the dojo to find somewhere a little more private to cool down.


End file.
